Xcri

An Indian Air Force plane carrying Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj lost contact with the
Air
Traffic Control (ATC) for nearly 14 minutes on Saturday while flying in the Mauritian air space, according
to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The Minister was enroute to South Africa for meetings of the
BRICS and IBSA grouping.
“The Indian Air Force Flight IFC31 carrying Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs, departed from
Thiruvananthapuram at 14.08 IST for Mauritius. Aircraft changed over from the Indian airspace to the
Male ATC, which then established contact with the aircraft at 16.44 IST. However, IFC 31 could not
contact the Mauritius ATC after entering the Mauritius airspace,” the AAI said in a statement.
“Later, at 16.58 IST, IFC 31 came in contact with the Mauritius ATC and landed,” the statement said.
The Meghdoot Embraer 135 aircraft was traced after the Mauritius ATC activated INCERFA, the code for
a situation in which uncertainty exists over the safety of an aircraft and its occupants.
The AAI said such warnings are normally issued only after 30 minutes of losing contact with the ATC. But
in this case it may have been generated earlier because the plane was carrying a VIP.
VHF failure
An IAF source, however, said loss of communication while flying long distance over seas is “normal”.
An AAI official, who termed the incident a grave security lapse, said communication can be erratic on
such routes due to the poor quality of Very High Frequency (VHF) communication over the radar system.
Failure of pilots to establish contact with ATC, snag in on-board equipment and frequency issues lead to
loss of contact, an air traffic controller said.
IAF pilots also do not maintain constant touch and often the ATC had to call to maintain contact while
operating in Indian airspace, he said.
Ms. Swaraj was on her way to South Africa for a five-day visit for BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and
South Africa) and IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) meetings.
She had arrived from Delhi in the same aircraft and took off after completing Customs and other
formalities, a senior AAI official told The Hindu.
Xcri
13 people were killed in Thoothukudi last week when the police opened fire on anti-Sterlite protesters.
The Tamil Nadu government issued a G.O. on Monday to seal and “permanently close” the Sterlite
Copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi. 13 people were killed in Thoothukudi last week when police
opened fire on anti-Sterlite protesters, who were marching to the Collectorate to seek the closure of the
“polluting” plant.
The G.O. was issued on the eve of the Assembly session that begins on Tuesday and it came against the
backdrop of injured people confronting AIADMK Ministers about its commitment to close down the
factory.
Following the G.O, officials in Thoothukudi sealed the unit. "We have sealed this plant as per the
directions of the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu", Thoothukudi Collector Sandeep Nanduri said.
"The plant is permanently sealed. There is no more confusion. I request the people of Thoothukudi to
co-operate with the district administration to bring normalcy back in the district," he added.
Thoothukudi Tahsildar Sivagama Sundari sealed the main entrance of Sterlite Copper unit on Monday in
the presence of Collector Sandeep Nanduri, Superintendent of Police Murali Ramba and senior revenue
officials.
Thoothukudi Tahsildar Sivagama Sundari sealed the main entrance of Sterlite Copper unit on Monday in
the presence of Collector Sandeep Nanduri, Superintendent of Police Murali Ramba and senior revenue
officials. | Photo Credit: N. Rajesh
The G.O. issued by the Environment and Forests Department said, “Under sections 18(1)(b) of the Water
Act 1974, in the larger public interest, the Government endorse the closure direction of the Tamil Nadu
Pollution Control Board and also direct the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to seal the unit and close
the plant permanently.”
ALSO READ
Anti-Sterlite protesters laying siege to the Collectorate, demanding the closure of the copper
manufacturing unit in Thoothukudi on May 22
Anti-Sterlite protests: In Thoothukudi, how copper came a cropper
A separate official release said the G.O. was issued after groups opposed to the functioning of the plant
met the Chief Minister, deputy Chief Minister, senior Ministers, Chief Secretary and other officials at the
State Secretariat on Monday, and sought a permanent closure of the plant.
In the order, the government said that the TNPCB did not renew the Consent to Operate to Vedanta
Ltd’s Copper smelter plant in its order dated April 9, 2018.
“Subsequently, on May 23, the TNPCB has also issued directions for closure and disconnection of power
supply to the unit. The power supply has been disconnected on May 24,” it said.
ALSO READ
Police burst teargas shells to disperse anti-Sterlite protesters marching to the Thoothukudi District
Collectorate.
The Hindu explains: Sterlite protests
Separately, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, said in a statement that the citizens of Thoothukudi
had been opposing the operation of the plant and were seeking a permanent closure of the plant as it
had violated the terms related to the environment set by the National Green Tribunal and the TNPCB.
“Based on requests made by various groups opposed to the operation of the plant in a meeting today,
the request to shut down the plant completely was considered in a rigorous manner,” Mr. Palaniswami
said.
He said the Tamil Nadu government was following in the footsteps of the late Jayalalithaa and hence has
taken the decision to close the plant in the interest of the public.
On Sunday, Minister for Information Technology, Kadambur Raju faced the ire of those injured and
relatives at the hospital. Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit is likely to visit Thoothukudi on
Tuesday and review the situation.
Post a Comment
Receive the best of The Hindu delivered to your inbox everyday!
ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS
GO
More In
NationalTamil Naducivil unrest Tamil Nadu metal and mineral demonstration government
Related Articles
SPONSORED STORIES
The average salary in the UK is £33,157. Calculate how much your CV is worth
The average salary in the UK is £33,157. Calculate how much your CV is worth
The Independent News
How to Create a Life You Love Before Knowing What It Is
How to Create a Life You Love Before Knowing What It Is
GamePlan A by adidas
Photos From Israel That Will Make You Think Again
Photos From Israel That Will Make You Think Again
HorizonTimes
Recommended by
Comments will be moderated by The Hindu editorial team.
Comments that are abusive, personal, incendiary or irrelevant cannot be published.
Please write complete sentences. Do not type comments in all capital letters, or in all lower case letters,
or using abbreviated text. (example: u cannot substitute for you, d is not 'the', n is not 'and').
We may remove hyperlinks within comments.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name, to avoid rejection.
Close X

Xcri

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Xcri

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Xcri

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

An Indian Air Force plane carrying Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj lost contact with the

Anti-Sterlite protests: In Thoothukudi, how copper came a cropper

The Hindu explains: Sterlite protests

Receive the best of The Hindu delivered to your inbox everyday!

ENTER YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS

The Independent News

How to Create a Life You Love Before Knowing What It Is

How to Create a Life You Love Before Knowing What It Is

Photos From Israel That Will Make You Think Again

Photos From Israel That Will Make You Think Again

Comments will be moderated by The Hindu editorial team.

Comments that are abusive, personal, incendiary or irrelevant cannot be published.

We may remove hyperlinks within comments.

You might also like